Lupin and Lily?

[Phinea Rogue]

In an interview with Steve Kloves, he says that "I think he was in love with her in many ways." Somehow I've never thought such a possibility, I don't why. Do you think it's possible? ...in the bridge scene, Lupin "illuminates Harry about his mother - the most wonderful thing about her was that she was understanding toward Lupin at a time few were. She saw something special about him when others, including himself, couldn't. Any thoughts?

[pallas artemis]

Still just trying to figure out how Lupin suddenly became friends with Lily instead of James.

[Evil Wizard Petting Zoo]

Yeah, I know that part in the movie you're talking about, and I found it really odd. But it could make sense: James, Sirius, and Peter were all full of themselves and probably liked Remus partly because they thought the werewolf thing was "cool". But of course they liked him for who he was, I'm not trying to say they were all shallow. My point is that Lily and Remus probably saw more eye to eye than she did with any of the other boys because Remus was into following the rules like Lily.

[Gypsy]

Yeh, when I watched the film i thought that scene made it seem like there had been something between Lilly and Lupin at one point. I thought that was just the director taking liberties slightly, i dont think JK asked them to include that bit.

[Courtney Piddle]

yes probbably, and also because like you said, the other lads were quite full of themselves. Probbably, remus was more subdued because of his warewolf thing and tryiong to keep it a secret and lily might have felt more drawn to that and intreagued at the same time

[Athena Appleton]

I thought that was a little odd, it was almost like Lupin was best friends with Lily and then "Oh yeah, I knew your dad, too"...

but I kinda liked it...

In the books, very little is said about Lily, but it was quite likely she was friends with the fellas even before she and James dated. After all, they were all in the same house.

If you look at Lily and the Marauders in the same way you look at Hermione, Harry, Ron and possibly Neville, it's kind of easy to understand. There is obviously nothing romantic between Neville and Hermione, but he really likes her and appreciates her because of her kindness (helping him in classes, stopping Crouch/Moody when she realized Neville had had enough, and generally being friendly to him when he really needed a friend). Or, there's never been a hint of romantic feelings between Harry and Hermione, but she sees him for who he is, rather than this icon, and he definately loves her, even if he's not "in love" with her.

Likewise, Lupin probably really appreciated that Lily would have shown kindness to him, she treated him for who he was instead of "what" he was, he loved her as a very close friend. It's quite possible he even had something of a crush on her for these same reasons. Also, it's possible Lupin and Lily were both prefects (we know he was, and we know she was Head Girl, so it's quite possible she was a prefect before that), and therefore would have spent time together outside of the cool guys, and she would have seen the side of Lupin we all love.

If I'm not mistaken, the other marauders didn't know Lupin was a werewolf when they became friends, they figured it out. Now, yes, being the show-offs they are, they probably did think it was cool. I do think that the other mauraders, though, were friends with Lupin for who he was.

There are a few parts in the books that hold up this theory that Lupin and Lily were close friends, or that he had a crush on her. The main thing is how hearing the news that Harry hears Lily screaming when the Dementors come around affects him. Also, the deal about both of them possibly being prefects together, they would have had to work together on prefect duties.

[Courtney Piddle]

I think lupin loved lilly, probbably not with marriage love, but deffinately loved her.

i think you;re right about lilly probbably being friends with the guys before her and james got it together, and much as the boys were showoffs i agree now they did like him for who he was. but i think maybe after they discovered it, they went on about it too much, thinking it was really cool and forgot a little about lupin? lilly may have just liked him for him and not been phased or changed in anyway by the fact that he is a werewolf

[Dumbledores Master]

I think it was just a dramatisation of an originally (in films) dry subject about Lupin praising Harry.

[Groo]

yeah even that surprised me. lupin should have taken james's name first. i guess that was just an addition for the film.
or maybe the director knows something we dont...........................

[Athena Appleton]

I don't know, I really don't think there's anything to this in a "wow, maybe there was some romance between Lily and Remus" way...

I think the screenwriter took a few liberties, but I don't think they made up something that wasn't there... Like, even watching that part of the movie, I don't get the feeling that Lupin and Lily were in love with each other, or ever dated, or anything like that... at the most, I think there may have been a one-sided crush on the part of Lupin.

not a big deal...

[Mint]

one-sided crush or may be even love on Lupin's part, that is how I interpreted it. Of course I dont think he should mention this to Harry, I would feel quite uncomfortable if I were Harry about this whole thing >_< In the movie I was just thinking that he made it waaay too obvious, im glad it was not like this in a book.

[Athena Appleton]

Ya know, I kind of agree with you, but then I think about the fact that Harry really has no one telling him anything about his mom, so I think he'd want to hear it, even if it came out sounding like Lupin had a crush on her. It wasn't like there was anything inappropriate (he didn't insinuate that there was anything physical, he didn't sound as if he held any kind of ill will towards James for winning Lily's heart) so I think it's completely innocent and really appropriate. It's kind of sweet, actually. I'd want to hear it, particularly if I were in the situation Harry's in. He didn't hear anything that would lead him to question his mom's faithfulness to his dad or anything like that... just that she was a sweet, kind person... something he probably would want to hear, regardless of who it came from.

[pallas artemis]

I had heard a theory, I don't know if it was here or somewhere else, that they thought James and Remus had switched bodies before the attack.
That would put a different twist on it

just joking

[fred]

acutally it was here except it was sirius and james.
but Lupin and Lilly... i dont know. it seems possible that was really the impression i got from the movie bridge scene

[Athena Appleton]

Actually, I had posted that theory, and it was about Lupin and James. I got it from Galadriel Waters's book about the mysteries of Harry Potter.

However, it's been disproven (I think.)

The theory went like this: Lily performed a charm on Lupin and James to have them switch bodies, so that if Voldemort found Lily, Harry and "James" (really Lupin), Lupin would die and James would live on to defeat Voldemort.

The thing is, in Order of the Phoenix, we find out that James couldn't defeat Voldemort, because he's not the chosen one. The reason Voldemort went to the Potters' house that night was to get Harry, not necessarily to kill all the Potters. This theory was based on the idea that any Potter was a threat to Voldemort, which we now know is not the case: only Harry was.

Secondly, in her chat with World Book Day in March (or was it April), Rowling says quite clearly that James is dead.

The theory was really pretty baseless to begin with, I think the only reason someone thought it was true was Lupin's reactions to Harry in PoA (when he hears that Harry hears Lily screaming; his supposed unfounded anger when Harry gets caught with the Marauders Map; the fact that he is able to figure out what Harry's thinking without words). I feel like all of these are really just proof to how close Lupin was to James and Lily (any friend would go pale when they hear the bit about Harry hearing his mom screaming; any friend would be angry if they felt like their friends' sacrifices were not honored; a very close friend, and a very intuitive person, would be able to make a guess as to what someone is thinking.)

So, interesting, but disproven theory.

I still say that there was nothing inappropriate about Lupin's monologue about Lily in the movie, it's quite possible there was a one-sided crush or even love on his part, and I feel it's natural for him to discuss it with Harry the way he does. All in all, it's an aspect of Lupin's character, and possibly a glimpse to the past, that very few of us expected, but it has no real relavence in the story, except to add to things we already knew.